Flavor delivery compositions are typically used in the beverage industry to incorporate water-insoluble flavor components into water-based beverages. Traditional flavor delivery compositions commonly used are emulsions, extracts and solutions.
Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and can separate as a result of long-term storage. In a finished beverage, the separation will result in creaming, ringing, sedimentation, flocculation, coalescence, or other undesirable characteristics. In addition, the droplet size of the oil component is too large to make optically clear beverages.
Unlike emulsions, extracts can be used to make optically clear beverages. However, the process of extraction is very slow usually requiring several days to complete the phase separation. In addition, only a small amount (about 5%) of the oil used is recovered for beverage applications while the rest is either discarded or used in low-profit products. Overall, extraction is a wasteful and expensive flavor delivery composition.
A need exists for flavor delivery compositions that are stable, optically clear, efficient, and cost effective.